Light in darkness
by IcusWriterToBe
Summary: The world has fallen, the only thing between the hollows and the extiction of man is an organization called ' The black lotus ' It consists of Fighters and their lights. When a war is suddenly announced and the fighters are dropping dead, it's time to end it once and for all.
1. Chapter 1

**Now this is a story I've been itching to write, I got the thought while I got writers block on my other story. So I'm doing this to release some of it, it's going better. But this one... Oh boy are you in for a treat. ^_^ **

**Okay so the setting is today's Japan, only it's crumbled. The Hollows have been rampaging for many years and mankind needs to fight back. Just how, you will find out. Let me just add that some characters are made up.**

**Disclaimer : I do not own anything.**

**Chapter 1 : Introducing. **

She was still awake. Not to her surprise, she didn't sleep much these days. She got up, seeing as it was quite meaningless staying in bed if she wasn't gonna sleep. She walked up to her window and stared out into night. Everything seemed so peaceful, and yet it wasn't. Out there were Hollows creeping around. They had for centuries. Orihime still was uncertain of how they came to be, some said they were souls that had been tortured into their appearance by the Devil. But she didn't think to much of it. She looked at the horizon and saw the small shade of orange, meaning that the sun was on it's way up. She wondered if the people working the night shift were okay, they usually were. She got away from the window and started to dress. When she was done putting on her white uniform a gentle knock was at the door. She knew it all to well.

" Come in Rukia. " The door opened and in stepped Rukia, she had her black hair tied up and walked in very carefully. Orihime looked at her friend and wondered why she always was so timid around her.

" Hey, I thought I'd check up on you. I mean since you don't sleep. " Orihime smiled at her and grabbed her hand.

" I'm fine. I've actually slept tonight, and now I'm ready to work. " She lied, but the work part was partly true. She gave another big smile and walked past Rukia, still holding her hand. She let go when they were in the corridor. Orihime was her cheerful self and walked next to Rukia through the badly lighted corridor. Orihimes room was at very end and there wasn't too many rooms in this particular corridor. HQ maybe was kinda run down, but it was better than nothing. They walked into the gathering room and was meet by very few of their comrades. So everyone still wasn't up, or had gotten back. The gathering room was small and filled with tables and sofas. She always wondered why there were never any chairs. She and Rukia sat down and Rukia yawned.

" And you nag at me for not sleeping. What the hell was that? " Rukia stretched her arms and laid her head at the table.

" Byakuya kept me up all night. He just did not wanna come back to HQ! He kept fighting those Hollows even when we were told to go back. He's such a pest! " Rukia was frustrated and banged her head against the table. In all fairness Byakuya was indeed a strong fighter, but he got carried away easily. Orihime looked around, he wasn't here.

" And I! Have to make certain that idiot doesn't die! And it is wearing me out! Just look! " Rukia shows her white uniform sleeve, it had blood stains all over it.

" Dear Gosh! Did you get hurt?! " Orihime panicked and grabbed Rukias arm. Rukia pulled it away and punched her lightly.

" No, the idiot worked himself so hard that he started spitting blood! " She tried rubbing it away, only for the blood to get smeared and extend over her sleeve. She growled in frustration and Orihime giggled a little. She felt that someone sat down next to her, and was very glad by who it was.

" Hey Momo. " Momo smiled at her. She was pretty ruffed up, having dirt and scratches in her face.

" Late night? " Rukia asked, but since they had the same shift she knew the answer.

" Very... I'm completely drained. I could sleep for a 100 years. " She laid back in the sofa and let out an enormous sigh.

" Please don't... It would be annoying to fight without my partner. " Momo's cheeks turned red and she nearly broke her neck when she turned her head around.

" Hi, Shiro- Chan. " Hitsugaya merely sighed and sat down next to her. He was beaten up too and his white hair was a complete mess. Momo blushed again as he sat pretty close.

" Orihime, I see your doing well. " Orihime smiled at him and he rolled his eyes. He really didn't like too smile, even do Momo tried to make him from time to time.

" Hitsugaya! Your bleeding! " Orihime cried, he looked at her with an raised eyebrow and touched his forehead. Blood was flowing from his forehead.

" Looks like it. " He looked calm and simply tried to ignore his bleed. Momo looked terrified at him, and if her hands weren't so dirty she would tend to him immediately. He got up and walked towards the corridors, heading for his room probably. He kept his hand on his forehead and Momo sighed.

" Well I have to go tend to him, he's useless with wounds. " Momo smiled and walked away after him.

" Can you believe that does two bonded? He's such a douche and she's so sweet. " Rukia puzzled over the two and Orihime simply smiled, she looked over at them. Momo seemed irritated at him and they were having a slight argument, he sighed and she smiled in triumph and then they disappeared. Orihime liked the thought of them maybe becoming a couple in the future, if only Hitsugaya weren't so oblivious to Momo's feelings.

" Rukia? Are you the light to Byakuya? " This question had itched her mind for a while and Rukia simply sighed and got a very sad look.

" According to him, he is my light. Even do I shield him, he won't admit that I AM his light. " Orihime shared Rukia's distress, it was kinda hard to figure out who was the light of two people. Orihime was lost in these thoughts when a small boy named Hanatarō approached them. Orihime smiled at him and he blushed.

" Well how's it hanging shrimp? " Rukia teased, but Hanatarō turned red and mumbled to form a comeback.

" He's not a shrimp. He's a cute little goldfish. " Orihime patted his head and he smiled. Orihime really was nice to him, she patted the seat next to her and he sat down next to her.

" So how's the life as an errand boy? " Rukia actually seemed interested and he stumbled on his words, as nobody used to seemed interested in him.

" It's pretty decent, even though I need to do a lot of inventorying. But so far it's actually kinda fun. " He was actually happy about his luck to work here, even as an errand boy.

" Aren't you jealous of us Fighters? We get to fight and even get a partner that is out light, or the other way around. " He looked at Rukia. She suddenly seemed interested in him, that was kinda weird. She usually got irritated at him and insulted him a lot. He didn't answer and wondered why she seemed interested in him now. Then it hit him.

" You don't want me to talk about Kurosaki? " Rukia's eyes stared into his, he felt how his inside died and realised far too late his mistake.

" It's okay. But I think my shift has started. " Orihime removed herself from the sofa and walked away, waving goodbye to her friends. When she was out of sight, Rukia smacked Hanatarō in the back of his head.

" You big loud mouthed idiot! " She proceeded to hit him several times, ignoring the stares from others. She finally stopped, she breathed fast out of pure frustration.

" I'm sorry... But why don't you wanna talk about Kurosaki? " Rukia smacked him again and he wept away a small tear.

" You know about Lights right? " Be stared blankly at her, Rukia's jaw dropped open. Did no one really had the time to tell the kid how this war worked? She sighed at her luck.

" Well... Since I'm only an errand boy, they don't think I need to understand. " He explained. Rukia growled in frustration, this kid needed to do a lot of reading.

" Okay let me do a summary then. We fight hollows. But one person can't fight alone, they need help. The hollows, they try to get into your head sometimes. Turn you into one of them, but that's were your partner come in. When you join HQ, your partnered up with someone they think you might bond with. Usually this happens pretty fast. " Hanatarō looked confused.

" Bond? " He asked, Rukia sighed.

" Yes. When the partners bond they work like a machine. One is the Fighter, the one that fights the Hollows. And the other is the Light, the one that protects the Fighter. " He looked less confused and took it in.

" Do continue. " Rukia actually liked to explain it.

" Let's say that the Fighter is attacked from behind, the Light can protect him. But only for periods of time. It's also the Lights job to help them heal. And as you maybe remeber... Orihime was Ichigo's Light. " She looked down sadly into the table. Hanatarō got a sad face too, as they remembered Ichigo.

" Do you think he is still alive? I mean he has been missing for nearly a month. " Rukia avoided to answer and looked over the room. Everybody had liked Ichigo ( To some extent ) but even when he was gone, everything went on as normal. The small chats between shifts, playful fights, arguments about fighting technics. How could Orihime stand it? All these memories, and they proceeded even without him. Rukia looked out the small window close by and saw the rising sun, it was pretty light for a while then everything went to it's usual blackness. The sun didn't shine for Earth anymore. She gave one thought to Ichigo. _Come back here, to her. _

_/.../.../.../_

The Hollow attacked sharply against them and they fought back as good as they could. Trying their best to keep up a fight, the Fighters fought with all their might. Their partners working in the shadows. Finally the Hollow fell, his arm chopped off by the sword of Liko. Mikaro was quick to end the Hollows miserable existent. Liko ran his hand through his silver hair and sat down on the crumbled ground. Mikaro stood still and looked at his sword instead, it practically shined when covered in blood.

" Liko, why do you get so hurt? " Perin sat down next to him and started to tend to his hurt arm. Her blonde hair was dirty with dust and a small drop of blood ran along her cheek.

" I could ask you the same. " He smiled at her, making his blue eyes glow. She sighed and returned to heal his arm by placing her hands on it and letting a small blue light emit from them. He felt an enormous pain and let out a small cry.

" Well it hurts to rebuild bones! " She yelled at him. Even though she seemed angry she was just worried. This he knew for a fact, as she always acted this way when he got hurt. He smiled and tilted his head so it touched her forehead. She blushed and continued to repair his arm. Mikaro rolled his eyes at them, they were to much sometimes. He looked to his side were Erona stood, she was playing with her light brown hair and seemed to wait for him to give his permission to touch him. Even though he didn't like to bother with wounds, she was like a child. He held his hand in front of her.

" Do your job. " She blushed and started to heal his hand, a green light surrounded his hand and she blushed heavily. He simply sighed and looked over at the remains of the hollow. It had taken a lot of strength to take it down, but it was almost to easy.

" And what's on your mind? " Liko asked, his left leg was shaking by the pain and his voice was trembling. Mikaro pulled his black hair back and tied it up in a small knot.

" It was too easy. " He placed his sword into the ground, looking at the hollow with searching eyes. He was looking for something, and he didn't even know what.

" You are too dramatic. Be glad the bastards dead. " Liko's leg stopped shaking and he moved away from Perin. But Mikaro's words got to him. He started looking at the hollow, searching for some sign of life. But it was dead. A creepy feeling traveled up his spine.

" Quite a performance. " They turned their heads and saw someone in the shadows, clapping their hands slowly while leaning against a wall. Mikaro grabbed his sword and Liko stood up.

" Who are you!? " Liko stood in front of Perin, and grabbed his own sword. The person stopped clapping and took a more serious position.

" Your quite good Larokno Mikaro. But this Hollow was among the weaker ones. " Mikaro froze, nobody knew his last name. Liko noticed his reaction, and raised his sword. Mikaro looked angrily at him. Liko lowered it slowly.

" Who are you? I asked you a question! " Mikaro yelled. Erona trembled at his voice.

" But if you were against my sword... Who would win? " A long sharp blade stood out of the darkness, and Mikaro gave a cooky smile. He raised his sword to eye sight.

" Me. " He rushed against the shadows, where the figure stood still. Liko screamed after him and when the sound of swords clashing, Mikaro lost all sense of hearing.

" Mikaro! " Erona cried out. Mikaro didn't understand a thing. He had heard how their swords clashed, yet he still had a hole in his chest. He stared at the pool of blood forming under him, falling to his knees. Liko trembled at this sight. Mikaro was beaten. But he couldn't be. The figure stared at them, and his appearance terrified them. Liko raised his sword rushing angrily at him. The figure made a quick movement and had a grip around Liko's throat.

" LIKO! " Perin screamed at the top of her lungs and Erona had to hold her back, so she wouldn't rush into battle. Liko felt the figures hand around his throat and he tried, to no avail, to get lose.

" Weak. Your so weak. " Liko felt how the grip hardened and how his lungs were struggling to breathe. He was gonna choke. Suddenly he got thrown away, like a doll. He hit a wall and gasped for air. Perin ran over to him with Erona in pursuit. The figure said nothing and merely stared at them.

" Who the hell... are you? " Liko tried his best to keep his voice, but it failed him and he struggled to formulate his words.

" Your weakness is ridiculous, how on earth could you have become a Fighter? " The figure stepped towards them, his eyes piercing through Liko's soul. He picked up Mikaro's sword and studied it, apparently admiring it. He then broke it in two.

" Why?! Why did you do that?! " Erona cried, her cheeks were wet with tears and at the sight of the thing Mikaro treasured most being broken caused her to cry even more.

" He won't be needing it, he's going to die in at least ten minutes. " Erona's eyes widened in chock, she tried her best to feel something from Mikaro. But they hadn't bonded, she couldn't feel him being neither dead or alive. She buried her nails into the dirt and felt how teardrops landed on her hands. Perin grinned her teeth and held placed a comforting hand on Erona's shoulder. Liko stood up and grabbed his sword.

" For those words, you will die. " A smirk appeared on his face and Liko felt his insides freezing. What in gods name was he? He raised his sword and with a scream he attacked.

/.../,.../

Orihime stared at the picture she had of Ichigo, he was smiling and holding his arm around Orihime. This was probably the only photo she had of him where he smiled. Or maybe even the only one she still had. The picture got teardrops on it and she realized she was crying.

" Why are you crying? He's fine. He's probably just out and fighting on his own, like he usually does. " She calmed her self with these words, but they weren't too comforting. She wanted to sleep, thinking of him was exhausting. As she only thought of all the bad things that could have happened to him. Her door bursted open and Rukia stood in the doorway, she looked bewildered.

" Orihime... Come... Quick.. " Rukia struggled to get the words out and tried to breathe as slowly as she could. Orihime got up from her bed and walked over to her.

" What's happened? " Rukia calmed down and then grabbed Orihime. They ran through the corridors and Orihime didn't understand a thing. But if something had gotten Rukia this worked up, then something must have happened. The entered the gathering room and ran towards another corridor, to the infirmary. Orihime was scared by this, and Rukias behavior. Could this mean...? _No. It can't be him. Please don't let it be Ichigo! _Rukia opened the door and Orihime stared at the sight. Two girls was sitting on the table, being tendered by Uryu. He looked up and invited them in. Orihime understand the gesture of bringing her here. Uryu tended to the blonde while Orihime placed her hands on the brown haired one. She stared with blank eyes into the floor and tears ran down her cheeks. The light to a fighter could heal others too, but it took a lot of energy to heal someone that wasn't their bonded object. Thankfully the girls wounds weren't to sever.

" What happened to you two? " She finally asked, neither of them answered.

" Well, you two will be okay. But you better stop being so silent, Aizen is on his way. " The blonde looked up and nodded, before bowing her head again.

Uryu went over to Rukia an Orihime.

" Why did you bring me here? " Orihime seemed a little irritated, but she really wasn't. It was just that by the way Rukia acted it seemed so important.

" Well, I don't know everything but... " Uryu didn't have much time to speak, when the door opened up and in walked Aizen. He was a very high ranked leader in the organisation and along with him came Ritsu unohana and Gin Ichimaru. Uryu ran up to them and bowed. Ritsu was also a highly ranked leader, Gin however was just Aizen's underling.

" So what happened? " Aizen was very direct and the girls looked shocked, Ritsu gave him an angry look and smiled at them.

" Take your time, and tell us what happened Erona. " Erona looked up and didn't seem like she had understood, The other girl then started to talk.

" We were attacked. A figure came out from the shadows an attacked Mikaro and Liko... He was so fast, it seemed like he just stood there. He killed Mikaro in the blink of an eye. And then he went after Liko... " She stopped to wipe her eyes and Ritsu gave her a tissue. Orihime stared at them, who could have done such a thing?

" What did he look like? " Aizen asked, moving his glasses. Ritsu gave him a hard stare and he smiled at her. He really was to direct on things.

" He looked looked like a human... But his face... Just like any other hollow he had this terrifying mask. But he had horns. He wasn't a hollow, nor a human. " Perin stopped, looking at them with tears in her eyes.

" And then he turned to us. And he said _tell_ _those idiots that they need to train their fighters better and to prepare for the coming war._ " Erona had ended, and Aizen and Ritsu exchanged concerned looks. Gin as well looked troubled.

" And Liko said he knew who it was. " Perin cried out. Everyone looked at her.

" Did he say who? " Aizen asked, he looked with big eyes at her. Perin shook her head. The door was opened once more. In came a surgeon, they all looked at him. Perin with hopeful eyes.

" I'm sorry but we couldn't save Liko's life. "

**End of chapter 1... Sooo what ya think? Good? Bad? Average? Kill it with fire? Leave reviews and make me happy :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Let's go on. We have just begone... But let me warn you, all chapters might not be as long as chapter 1 but I'll do my best. **

**Chapter 2 : Painful thoughts **

Orihime was lost for words, what the hell had happened? Perin started screaming and fell to her knees, tears running down her cheeks. Erona just stared into the wall. Aizen walked over and placed his hands on her forehead. A red light came out of them and she fell asleep. Ritsu did the same thing with Perin.

" Now the will sleep for awhile. Take care of them. " Aizen left the room with Gin and Ritsu glared after him. She turned to Orihime and the others and smiled.

" He's so annoying, but I can't hate my Light. " Ritsu bowed to them and walked out of the room. Uryu picked up Erona and Rukia picked up Perin.

" Let's get them in bed. What the hell did they do? " Rukia was having some trouble with carrying Perin, she looked so light but weighed a ton! Uryu rolled his eyes at her and looked at Orihime, she stared in to the floor while thinking heavily.

" Orihime? You okay? " Asked a concerned Uryu. She looked up and gave a smile.

" Yes. I'm completely fine. " She said walking past them. Rukia and Uryu were pretty exhausted once they were outside the two girls rooms. Uryu carried in Erona and placed her on her bed, Rukia did the same and then they closed the doors very silently.

" Well that was a scare... Hey I got a question. " Rukia said.

" What? " Uryu seemed irritated, maybe he didn't get enough sleep.

" Aizen and Ritsu... Are they? " Rukia didn't say the last word but Orihime got the hint.

" No, they are both high ranked generals and have genuine respect for each other. Ritsu-sensei would never engage in such activities. Aizen I'm a little bit unsure... " Rukia looked happy by the answer when the sun started setting.

" Well I gotta go, see ya. " She rushed past them and headed for the gathering room. Uryu opened his mouth to say something but Orihime cut him off.

" See ya Uryu, I gotta go. " She ran along the corridor and Uryu stared after her.

Orihime closed her door and fell down to the floor. She felt so miserable that she wanted to cry. Perin had lost her fighter and, from her reaction to his death, her lover. How was she gonna coupe with it? Like Orihime did when Ichigo went missing? Break apart and become a ghost? Even without her Fighter she was still of use to the organization, she was a high ranked healer and was one of the best at defensive magic. After all her mentor had been Ritsu. Orihime stood up and decided to change into her nightgown, she opened the draw and started looking for it. Under the soft fabric of a shirt she felt something hard. She picked it up, it was a wooden necklace. The pieces of wood had different signs on them. " Love, forever, strong, together. " Was only some of the words she saw. In the middle of the necklace was a small shard of glass. She remembered all to well who gave her this necklace.

_" Ichigo? What are you doing? " A younger Ichigo, at age 13 looked up at Orihime. _

_" What does it look like? I'm making a necklace. " He carved the signs into the wood pieces and looked like he was thinking hard about something. _

_" To who? " Orihime asked curiously, he looked up with a confused look and then got that angry look. _

_" Who do you think? It's for you! " Orihime looked chocked at him, was he serious? She then noticed that he carved the word Love into a piece. _

_" But why? " He looked even more upset, and sighed. _

_" It's a promise that I will one day make you my wife. " He blushed at these words, as did Orihime. She sat down next to him and watched exited as he put down the last piece. His pouted his mouth and looked angry. _

_" Something wrong? " _

_" It needs something more. " He started pulling out a long thread and started to thread on some pieces. Orihime then got an idea. _

_" Here. " She took out a small piece of glass out of her pocket. He looked confused and picked it up. _

_" It almost looks like a crystal. " He said while eyeing the shard. _

_" Yepp. So use it! " He made a small hole in the shard and finished the necklace. He smiled proudly and looked at Orihime. He blushed and handed it to her._

_" Orihime...will you one day be my wife? " She smiled and took the necklace. _

_" Of course. " She put it on and Ichigo smiled at how stunning she looked. _

_" Let's go and get some training done! " He bursted out, he jumped to his feet and reached out his hand. Orihime grabbed it and they ran to the training room. _

Orihime felt how tears ran down her cheeks. She held the necklace tightly to her chest and collapsed on her bed. She didn't even notice when she suddenly drifted off into sleep.

**Well...writers block strikes again... Loving it... So short, yeah i know but i'll try and make up for it... but next chapters gonna be kind of a background thing soooooo... You wanna see Ichigo come in on a white horse? Hahahahaha then you will have to wait.. Mohahahaha **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone... Yeah we're back on track, let me just say that i'm horrible at this! I mean i sometimes get confused myself and i really had to sit down and think about what the heck i'm writing... Let's just go on shall we! **

" Now remember Orihime, the boy has just lost his entire family. He is very fragile at the moment, so talk to him. And don't get angry or irritated like you usually do. " Ritsu unohana was walking down through the dark hallway, close behind her was a young girl named Orihime. The girl was 12 years old and also her apprentice. They stopped in front of a door, and Ritsu turned around.

" Is he gonna be my fighter or my light? " Orihime asked, Ritsu had to think on that part. Since she had trained Orihime in healing and defensive magic it would be most troublesome if the boy turned out to be the Light.

" Don't bother with that now. Let's just hope you bond. " She opened the door and Orihime slowly walked inside. The room was small and, like most other rooms, had cracks and looked like it would collapse any minute. The boy stood by the window, looking over the city. She was quite shy and was scared to approach him, he didn't look sad. He looked like he was more angry, and this scared her. But Ritsu had told her to go, and she built up some courage and walked over. The boy's head turned when he heard her steps behind him.

" Hi, I'm Orihime Inoue. " She reached out her hand so that he could shake it, he merely stared at her.

" Where's Aizen? " He asked.

" Sōsuke? He's probably gone on a mission, you know why you are here right? "

" Yes I do! I'm here because some fucking hollow killed my parents! And that bastard Aizen is supposed to train me! He apparently knew my father. " The boy then proceeded to look out the window, Orihime knew that he was angry and sad. But to raise his voice and curse that way was just not polite.

" I know how you feel. " He stared at her with a nearly burning gaze.

" You know? You know?! You don't know! I lost my entire family, the only people I had! That bastard Aizen said he would look after me! But he dumps me here and then he... " He silenced and looked at her eyes, she was very close to tears and he felt bad. He didn't mean to yell.

" My parents were killed in a hollow attack when I was eight, I walked around the streets for a few days not knowing where the hell I was supposed to go. And then Ritsu- sensei saved me. I've been her apprentice since then. So yes, I know how you feel. " The boy looked down in shame, he really had a bad temperament.

" Ichigo. " She dried her eyes and looked at him very confused.

" What? " She asked, he took a deep breathe.

" My name. My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. "

" I think they are getting along just fine. " Aizen's words surprised Ritsu, he appeared out of no where and nearly scared her to death.

" Oh. Aizen, you scared me. " His smile was so arrogant. She almost blushed, but not as heavily as when they were teens.

" Maybe that was the point? " He said quite smugly, he was such a pest sometimes. Ritsu straightened up an walked past him, a small laugh came from him. He walked right next to her, she meet his eyes for a second, they were kinda dazzling.

" What do you want? " She said irritated, he kept smiling. For a small second she almost saw that young boy with glasses and fuzzy hair. What she was staring at was not the same, this person was just arrogant.

" I came to check on the kids, we need every fighter we can get. And i haven't seen you in awhile. " He took a lock of her hair and stroke it between his thumb and index finger. Ritsu felt uneasy and backed away.

" Please Sōsuke, I need to get some rest. I have been up all night and I have a shift tomorrow. " Aizen's gaze didn't stop, she felt like her heart might explode.

" I can help you with that. " He leaned in and whispered into her ear. She blushed, but she shook it of immediately. She pushed him away and walked angrily away. When she was certain he was gone she leaned against the wall. Why did he have to be her partner? She hated his guts! Or at least now she did, when they were growing up he was more friendly and calm. Now he was just arrogant and acted very stupid. He may be one of the generals for the Black Lotus, but he certainly didn't act like one. A general is supposed to lead, have a sense of calm, and act cool. Aizen was the direct opposite, it was a good thing he had her as partner. She kept him down on earth, at least for a little while then his flirtatious behavior surfaced up. That he was quite famous for, flirting and occasionally sleeping with any woman in sight. Such a drag. She walked to her room, it wasn't so big but it was good enough for her. She had a small table at the end of her bed where a small music box stood. She opened it and a beautiful melody came out of it, and she started to undress. The white robe was neatly placed on top of her drawer and she pulled out a nightgown.

" I kinda like that you never turn on your lights. " The voice that was way to familiar, and way to arrogant, and way to flirtatious came from her bed. His smug smile could be seen even without lights. She nearly screamed and she covered herself with the nightgown.

" Aizen?! Why the fuck are you in my room?! " He sat up, his shirt was open one button. She heard his small laugh, and felt how blood rushed to her face.

" I told you didn't I, I'm gonna help you get to sleep. " He patted the covers as a sign for her to lay down, she had to bite her lip so she wouldn't grab her sword and slice him in half.

" I'm not gonna sleep with you! I know exactly what you go for! " In the dark she saw how his eyes actually got quite sad. This surprised her, she hadn't seen it in awhile.

" I didn't mean it like that. You still have nightmares right? " At that moment everything about the current Aizen changed, he was still that kid with the glasses that took care of her. Her light. That thought made her heart jump. Ever since Aizen was able to wield a weapon like a Fighter, and not a light the leaders had realised something. There could be Fighters and lights, but they could use their powers in a different way. Ritsu was a Fighter, but she was an expert at healing. So it wasn't exactly uncommon that some generals didn't need their light while fighting in the field. After Aizen was promoted, he turned into an arrogant douche. So this act of kindness kinda surprised her.

" Yeah... I still do, sometimes. " He gave a small smile.

" Then how about we do it like the old days? You sleep while I keep you company. " She looked at him with very skeptical eyes.

" I don't trust you nowadays. " He put his hand over his heart and mimed an ouch.

" I won't fondle you, my hands will stay by your head. " Ritsu realised now, that she had been standing naked with only a nightgown as a cover. She hit the floor and put it on extremely fast.

" And the thing in your pants? Will it stay too? " This she said just to tease him, but she had to cover her mouth so she wouldn't start laughing.

" I swear that it will. " He had a big smile and she got up and walked to the other side of the bed. She laid down under the covers and he laid next to her, stroking her hair while he hymned on some song.

" How do you think those kids are getting along "? " She was so close to falling asleep, couldn't he just be quite and keep stroking her hair?

" Good, I think. Who is the kid anyway? " She yawned, she would presumably fall asleep soon.

" He's a friends kid. " He started to yawn as well, he was about to open his mouth to say something but instead another yawn came. Soon both him and Ritsu had fallen asleep, like the good old days.

Rukia stared into the mirror in her room, she didn't like the reflection. She was supposed to be Byakuya's light, but he was way to stubborn and stuck up. She shielded him, she healed him ( after a little nagging ) but he would still not acknowledge her. She was like a cat to him, if only they were more friendly towards one another. God knows that she tried but he kept being a jerk, that was kinda irritating. A knock on her door disturbed her thoughts, she got up and opened the door.

" Well speak of the devil! " Byakuya stood in front of her. He looked very unamused by her joke and didn't even bother to ask why she said it, which caused Rukia to get a little irritated.

" Get ready, we're leaving in 10 minutes. " And then he just started to walk away, Rukia ran after him and grabbed his robe.

" Wait! Were are we going? " He sighed and turned to her, he was way to goddamn tall. And such lifeless eyes, he never seemed happy of even joyful about anything.

" We are going to the outskirts of district 4, apparently that idiot Ikkaku can't keep the hollows out. So we are going there to help. Get ready, we're leaving in 7 minutes. " And then he left. Rukia walked back into her room and started to dress herself. All the Lights wore white clothing while the Fighters wore black. A sign that the Lights were a sign for life, healing and defensive magic, while the Fighters were for death, killing hollows. Rukia stared at herself once more in the mirror. She didn't think she was pretty, quite the opposite. She looked kinda, bland and pale. She hated her hair, she had been meaning to let it grow but Byakuya disliked that idea. _I won't allow that my partner has longer hair than me. _Okay that wasn't exactly what he said, but Rukia took it easier if she thought of it in a funny manner. The only person to ever say she was pretty was... Ichigo. She closed her eyes and thought of him for a second, his bright smile lighted up her mind. She felt her heart rate speed up and she stopped thinking of him. Now she was angry at herself.

" No..No! I'm not like that! I won't think like that over my best friend's boyfriend! I'm... Not... In.. Love.. With.. Ichigo Kurosaki! " She hit a nearby lamp and knocked it over, it smashed completely when it hit the floor. She kept saying these words in her head, but the words faded, became fuzzy and hard to understand. Suddenly his bright smile existed once more._ I think your pretty Rukia. _She knew he had only said that to be polite, but still.. All the kindness he showed her, all the things he said, all these things started to run through Rukia's mind. And when she thought about it, she never knew if Ichigo and Orihime dated. They surely didn't act like it, but she couldn't be sure. But she had to be.

" Rukia! We're leaving! " Byakuya's angry voice was heard through the door. She got up and meet him in the hallway, he looked irritated before brushing it of and walking away in a neutral manner. Always the same. Him acting superior, then acting like she didn't mean anything, and to top it of she had to walk behind him. She couldn't remember one time when she walked in front of him, or even beside him. She really was a cat to him.

Orihime couldn't sleep, like any other night. She hated it, that she couldn't sleep. She just wanted one night were she could sleep in peace. She moved around in the bed, trying to find a decent spot or position to sleep in, but what was the use? She sat up and walked over to the window, she missed going out. Nowadays she only stared at the wall or helped Ritsu with the sick and wounded. She wanted to get out, to fight. But as Ritsu- sensei put it, she needed a Fighter and since she refused to go with anyone who wasn't Ichigo she had to stay put. But the helping the wounded was good training, she actually got a lot more energy from it and her powers increased. She could heal a broken arm in less than 30 minutes, that was quite impressive seeing as Ritsu did it in 10. A gentle knock was heard on her door.

" Come in. " Orihime said politely, in came Ritsu. She was covered in blood, but still hade her gentle smile on.

" Good your awake. " She walked in and closed the door behind her.

" Why are you covered in blood? " Ritsu seemed surprised and looked down, she chuckled. The chuckle sounded familiar to Orihime, like it was somebody else's. Or maybe Ritsu had just taken after another person.

" I just did a small operation, nothing serious just a broken arm. The bone was broken in half and one part had buried itself inside the muscle. It took some time. " Her smile was so gentle, even when speaking of horrible things, that was one reason why Orihime trusted her very much. She had practically grown up with that smile, as it always helped her get over sad things.

" Oh, can I help you with something Ritsu- sensei? "

" No, but I can help you. " She took out a small box out of her pocket and handed it over to her, Orihime thought that Ritsu might have given her a necklace or something like that. But she let go of that idea, Ritsu didn't get stuff like that. She opened the box and inside were some very weird herbs and small flowers, and they smelled wonderful.

" What's this? " She asked as she took in their sweet scent. It was like smelling an entire garden, so fresh and joyful.

" They will help you get some sleep, breathe them in before you go to sleep and you will dream very pleasant dreams. " Orihime was gonna ask a question but Ritsu just walked out of the room, leaving her puzzled and confused. She breathed it in once more and laid down in bed. She felt her eyelids get heavy, and drifted of into sleep. It felt kinda amazing to be asleep, it felt like she could sleep for hours. She don't know what she dreamt about, but it only lasted an hour. Her dream had been shining with a white light, and then it started to fade. Soon it was all black. This was the part were she started to get scared, she didn't like the dark. And it was freezing.

" Usually I dream about things, so why is there nothing here?! " She started to panic, like being suffocated.

" I'm here... " The voice sounded out of nowhere and made a cold feeling run down her spine, she wanted to turn around and see what it was that spoke, but scared of it being a nightmare she stood her ground.

" Your not real.. Your just a nightmare.. " She tried to convince herself of this, but something kept telling her that she was wrong. So the wind that blew past her seemed way to real. And a shadow appeared before her. She moved her head so he wouldn't see what it was.

" I can assure you I'm not a nightmare. " The voice was so dark, so terrifying. And it chased her, where she turned her head the shadow appeared.

" Yes you are! Your not real! " She was really trying to convince herself, but the wind, the cold, the shadow and the voice they were all to real.

" I'm not a nightmare. " The shadow grabbed her wrist and she let out a small scream when she saw the long boney fingers wrap themselves around her wrist. " But I could be if you don't behave. " She thought that she saw a smirk appear on the shadow.

" Let go! Wake up Orihime! Wake up! " The hold suddenly loosened. The shadows eyes became quite visible, and something familiar about them caused her to stare intensely at them.

" Ori...Orihime? " The voice hesitated and the grip wasn't as firm anymore, instead the fingers started to very gentle touch her skin moving to her face. This didn't seem to bother her, she was more focused on the eyes.

" What are you? " She reached out to touch the shadows face, what she touched was hard and she saw how a skull formed. The coldness returned and buried itself into her chest.

" Hime-chan... " Her eyes widened in shock and she looked at the mask that had the form of a skull, the eyes were so familiar and yet she couldn't place them to a face. Suddenly the shadow pulled away from her and let out a scream. She fell to the ground and stared in terror at how the shadow moved around like it was in pain.

" Wake up! I gotta wake up! " She started to pinch herself but couldn't wake up, despite how much she tried. The shadow stopped and looked with very cold eyes at her, whatever had seemed familiar with him was long gone. He moved towards her, and a sword appeared in his hand. She got up to run away but tripped, he was just behind her and raised his sword to strike her. She screamed and closed her eyes.

" ORIHIME! " She sat up and looked around. She was in her room, she pinched herself and the pain indicated that she was awake. She was covered in sweat, and her heart was beating at a high pace. She looked towards the door, whatever had woken her up had not been from the outside. She walked into the bathroom and splashed cold water at her face. The dream was too real, way too real. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. The shadow had called her Hime-chan, only her friends called her that. And it was something that she considered very annoying. That sword, she could have recognized it anywhere. There was only one person she knew that carried that kind of sword. But it couldn't have been, but the combination could only mean one thing.

" There's no mistaking, the shadow.. The shadow has to be Ichigo... "

**Geee... What am I thinking with the Ritsu/Aizen pairing?I most take my meds before I start writing. Well.. Another glimpse about how they were as kids ( more to come in a near future. ) but next chapter, it's gonna be all about fighting and death. And if your wondering about the whole Light and Fighter thing... Just don't bother, let the story play it's part.. Get dragged along with it. Even I don't know anymore! But it's for the sake of the story, I'll make a info chapter ( Not an actual chapter ) where I explain as much as I can.**


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